Commentary: End the Senate delays — the U.S. needs at border patrol chief

Flores-Paniagua has an outstanding column in today’s paper on the Senate’s failure to act on the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee for border patrol chief. It’s something that Texas lawmakers from both parties want — and something that Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. told us last week was very important to his country and ours. Here’s the top of Veronica’s column. For the complete column, click here.

It’s hard to be taken seriously when you talk out of both sides

of your mouth.

Congress has been critical of Mexico on border issues — and, true,

there’s plenty to be critical about — but let’s turn the mirror back on

Washington, the U.S. Senate in particular, for a moment. That’s where

the confirmation has stalled for presidential nominee Alan Bersin to

head U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The “stalled” characterization is relative. Bersin emerged as the

presumed CBP pick early in President Barack Obama’s term. Since April,

Bersin has been the nation’s “border czar,” with Obama’s CBP nomination

finally coming in September. The Senate Finance Committee is vetting the

nomination before recommending a full Senate vote.

Sunday’s top headline in the San Antonio Express-News makes plain why

having a permanent CBP commissioner is an urgent matter in South Texas:

“Drug War is Killing Mexico Border Cities.” Spillover violence into

U.S. cities is a very real concern.

Such parochial worries might not capture the attention of Sens. Max

Baucus, a Montana Democrat, or Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican. The